Three Young Sisters, Who Vanished After ‘Planned Visitation’ With Their Father, Found Dead

In the span of just two weeks, three families—separated by thousands of miles—were shattered by heartbreaking acts of domestic violence and suspected murder-suicides. As communities across the globe search for answers, grief ripples far beyond the homes where these tragedies occurred.

Washington: A Mother’s Worst Nightmare

In Chelan County, Washington, the anguish began on May 30, 2025. Whitney Decker grew increasingly concerned when her three young daughters—Paityn, 9, Evelyn, 8, and Olivia, 5—didn’t return from a scheduled visit with their father, Travis Decker. Calls went unanswered. The agreed-upon return time passed. Panic set in.

By June 2, that panic turned to heartbreak. Authorities discovered the girls’ bodies near Rock Island Campground, close to where Travis’ abandoned truck had been found. Investigators later revealed the chilling details: the girls had been zip-tied and suffocated with plastic bags. Their deaths were ruled as asphyxiation.

Police have named Travis Decker, 32, a military-trained father with no permanent residence, as the prime suspect. He is believed to be armed and dangerous, possibly moving between motels and remote campsites.

A GoFundMe campaign set up to support Whitney has received an outpouring of support, raising more than $330,000 as of June 4 toward a $380,000 goal.

New Mexico: Tragedy in a Multigenerational Home

Just a few days earlier, a quiet Albuquerque neighborhood was rocked by horror on the morning of May 24. Firefighters responding to a house fire on Georgia Street Northeast discovered the bodies of Stephen and Marcia Bockemeier, both in their 70s, and their son Erik, 48. All had been shot before the fire was set.

Later that same morning, another body was found near the State Bar of New Mexico. It was 35-year-old Andrew Stephen Bockemeier—another son in the family—who had died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Police believe he used the same weapon involved in the killings at the home.

Though authorities found a note at the scene, they haven’t released its contents. Officials believe Andrew may have been suffering from a mental health crisis.

“It’s deeply troubling,” said Albuquerque Police Department spokesperson Gilbert Gallegos. “Some families are dealing with things we never see on the surface.”

Argentina: Horror in Buenos Aires

Half a world away in Buenos Aires, Argentina, a similarly chilling scene unfolded on May 21. A housekeeper arriving at a family’s apartment in the Villa Crespo neighborhood was met with a grim discovery: the body of a young boy near the front door.

Inside, authorities found three more bodies: 53-year-old grain market expert Bernardo Seltzer, his wife Laura Leguizamón, 50, and their sons Ian, 15, and Ivo, 12. All had been stabbed. A knife was recovered, and a handwritten note was found in the kitchen.

Investigators believe Laura—who had reportedly stopped taking prescribed psychiatric medication—killed her family before dying by suicide. Friends and their longtime housekeeper said they had noticed disturbing changes in her behavior in the days leading up to the tragedy.